Arrival in Peru

Uncle Marvin and Aunt Wanda brought us to the Grand Junction airport, possibly the easiest airport inthe world, in style. We flew over the snowy Rocky Mountains, pointing out all our mountain familiars in appreciation of Colorado and the beautiful place where we live. Houston to Lima went well, immigration control and customs in Peru too, but it took over a worrisome hour to get our luggage. Waiting with us was someone we know! Nilda from Chincheros and Cusco, Peru, founder of Traditional Textiles of Cusco. She travels quite a bit and had been in Denver at some conference. We had news for her; she didn´t know that Juan Quispe had lost his wife.

When we finally emerged from the luggage claim at 1:30am ¿who was waiting? ¡Our goddaughter, Noemi, with her husband, Alejandro with their two little ones, 4-year-old Alexander and 19 month-old Dayana, plus Noemi´s half sister, Illiane! The kids were all in bright happy spirits in spite of the hour, amazing. We took an airport taxi to their neighborhood and our hotel and slept for 4 hours. Noemi and Alejandro came to the airport with us and we checking in nice and early and had time to go to the Santa Rosa market, which in near the airport in Callao for breakfast. The visit was expremely brief but wonderful. We will return to Lima at the end of April to visit them before we catch our plane to come home.

Cloudy view and only brief glimpses of the Andes brought us to the green and wet zone of the Altiplano and the Juliaca airport. Again, we see someone we know at a Peruvian airport: The owner of our hotel and his wife were headed for Lima for a few days and put us in their airport shuttle to Puno and the hotel.  Where Delfin and Eufrasia were waiting. Eufrasia is our Co-mother since her youngest daughter, Natalia, is our goddaughter. Delfin is her middle son. We did the initial important errands: fresh juice or smoothies at the morket, changed money and bought coca leaves. We also visited the travel agaency of our friends, Lydia and Eduardo. Lydia immediately took us out for tea and long conversations. We may travel with them to visit her family in the jungle near Sandia in early April. Eduardo is also the organizer for the visit of Paonia´s mayor, Neal Schweiderman, to the municipality of Ilave, which will happen in mid April. Lydia invited us to breakfast the next morning at her house.

Next arrived Silvano, our ¨son¨ and Fredy. Fredy has given up working in the Chicken raising businesses near Lima and is currently working on a tourist boat to and from the islands and living in Puno most of the time. We all had a typical dinner together and brief conversation before bedtime.

The altitude is affecting us with headaches and a bit of restless sleep in spite of exhaustion. As I write this the following afternoon we can see acclimatization kicking in already.

Walking to breakfast with Eduardo, we heard Zumba music coming from an upstairs room above a gym. We checked it out. Every morning at 8:00am. ¡We will definitely join in when we are in Puno again!

(¡¿Don´t you love that upside down punctuation!?)

Lentils and Rice for breakfast; plenty of food and fine conversation including lots of possible tour plans for our coming visitors and ourselves.

Silvano found us on the street outside the boot repair place and we eventually met with Delfin and Eufrasia for lunch at the market. Sam and I, still full from breakfast, just had carrot juice. Such a pleasure, its easy availability. They had bought vegetables and other staples with money we´d given them last night. Everyone eats very well when we are here. We separated after lunch and Sam and I went to Laycacota Market for fruits. Such beautiful fruit stands in this country: mounds of apples and guyabas and bananas and tangerines and pears and tiny greenish peaches. I think people make a beverage from the peaches, which I have enjoyed though I´ve never wanted to buy the fruit. After Paonia Peaches, really....

And two watermelon.

We go to Taquile tomorrow morning and may not be back in computerland for at least a week.